MRMC Receives Excellence Recognition in HealthGrades Maternity Care Report For Third Year

MRMC Receives Excellence Recognition in HealthGrades Maternity Care Report For Third Year

06-26-2007

Mission Regional Medical Center announced today that it has been recognized
with a five-star rating for clinical excellence in a maternity care report
issued today by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading independent healthcare
ratings company. In addition, Mission Regional Medical Center ranked in
the top five percent of hospitals in the nation for maternity care, and
as a result has been recognized with the HealthGrades 2007/2008 Maternity
Care Excellence Award™.

The 2007/2008 HealthGrades programmatic ratings for maternity care are
based on the following criteria: in-hospital complication rates associated
with vaginal and cesarean deliveries, in-hospital volume, neonatal mortality,
and complication rates for non-medically indicated or patient choice cesarean sections.

“It is always an honor to be ranked in the top five percent of hospitals
in the nation for maternity care,” said Desi Canals, MD, Chief of
Staff, at Mission Regional Medical Center. “As a physician, what
I find even more rewarding is when a mother tells me or a nurse that she
plans to deliver her baby at Mission Regional Medical Center because of
our excellence in care, service, and national reputation for exceptional
maternity care. That puts it in perspective and speaks volumes to me,”
added Dr. Canals.

For its 2007/2008 ratings, HealthGrades independently analyzed the quality
of maternity care for more than 1,500 hospitals across 19 states that
make this information publicly available, objectively assessing their
clinical performance and quality over the three-year period. The four
criteria measured were weighted using predetermined weights based on consensus
from a physician panel. Each factor’s percentile score was multiplied
by its weight and then summed to create an overall score. Based upon each
hospital’s overall score, HealthGrades applied the following rating system:

Five-star (Best) = Top 15% of all hospitals within 19 states

Three-star (Average) = Middle 70% of all hospitals within 19 states

One-star (Poor) = Bottom 15% of all hospitals within 19 states

Receiving a five-star designation indicates a hospital has scored in the
Top 15% or better in the nation for clinical quality.

“Our consistent ratings of excellence from HealthGrades demonstrate
our continued commitment to new mothers and their newborns. It is also
a reflection of our dedicated physicians, nurses and staff who strive
daily to provide quality, compassionate maternity care,” noted Javier
Iruegas, CEO, of Mission Regional Medical Center.

“Each year, HealthGrades conducts the largest annual studies of hospital
quality in America,” explained Samantha Collier, HealthGrades’
Chief Medical Officer. “The fact is, a close analysis of the data
shows that the quality of maternity care varies widely from hospital to
hospital, so it’s important for individuals to have this vital information
as they evaluate hospitals.”

The complete maternity care ratings are published; free of charge, on the
HealthGrades Web site,
www.healthgrades.com.